Waste watchers: It’s the little things

Lately I’ve been trying to cut down on the things I waste and what I throw away. I do the usual stuff, of course. I recycle whatever I can. I carry a water bottle with me most days. I pack a lunch in glass containers and take it to work. I (sometimes) remember to brings bags to the store. I’m always on the lookout for even more thing I can do to lighten my footprint- and I recently thought of a few new things.

Sometimes I feel silly for not thinking of things earlier and this was one of those moments. I am lucky enough to have my own office at work, it even has a locking door! I’ve had a little tea station set up for a while- it has helped me cut down both on my caffeine intake and Starbucks runs. Usually, I use paper towels to wash and dry my mug everyday. The office sponge is super gross and using paper seemed like a better, though more wasteful, option. It dawned on my that all I needed to do was bring in a sponge and a dish towel from home. Problem solved! Duh!

My cute little tea set up, now more sustainable

My other sustainability success also saved me money, so it was a double win. I’ve had the same pair of Oakley Holbrook sunglasses for ages (like 2 years I think) and I love them. They are sort of like classic Ray Bans, but better suit my face. They have been looking a little worse for the wear since I’ve had them for so long and I had been thinking about getting myself a new pair. But I’m glad I didn’t! Many models of Oakley glasses have interchangeable frames and it’s a game changer. I bought a new set of polarized lens from Seek Optics for $26.00, popped out the scratched ones and ta da! Like new glasses! Seriously the best $26 I’ve spent in a long time.

Lens before and after

Like getting new glasses!

I love it when I can find easy and cheap ways to make my life better and more sustainable. Sometimes it backfires a bit. R and I went to the farmer’s market on Sunday and bought turnips (he loves them mashed). Last night I cooked and mashed the turnips. We don’t have composting (yet) and I didn’t want to throw the tops away, so I sauteed them with some mustard and red pepper flakes. I liked them, but R thought they were gross. Oh well. Can’t win every time.

Why the road rage? This lane is for good vibes only

I felt a little spacy on my drive to work this morning- I think it was a combo of a tired Friday morning and the general “auto-pilot” nature of a daily commute. I’m a careful driver however, so I don’t think I was that spacy.

All of a sudden, my rear view mirror was full of a woman in a minivan riding right up on my bumper, flashing her headlights and angrily waving me over. I was immediately confused. I was driving in the left lane of a 2 lane freeway at the speed of traffic (a little faster than the speed limit) with cars in front and next to me. It looked like she wanted me to get out of her way, but to where?

I made a little shrug in the mirror- I didn’t really see what she wanted me to do. A few seconds later, she changed lanes and sped past me while very emphatically flipping me off. The whole interaction only lasted about 30 seconds, but it really shook me up and mind starting racing for an explanation. Did I cut her off? Was I doing something wrong? What had I done to bring on her rage?

I was still shaken when I pulled up at work. I thought about the ripples that negative energy creates. Who knows what was going on in her life- maybe she was late to a job she hates, maybe someone she cares about is in the hospital, maybe she is in an abusive relationship and that’s the only safe way for her to let her anger out. Since I had no idea what set her off, I tried to have empathy and imagine her perspective. I noticed how her negativity spread to me, like the flu. It was a good lesson.  I want to send positive ripples out into the world, not negative ones.

Compared with some people’s daily struggles, this negative interaction was minor. But I think that thinking about the impact our words, actions and inactions have on the world is crucial. I once read a book (can’t remember which one? Brain Rules, maybe?) that said that empathy is a muscle. It is something we can work on and improve. Today I’m trying to work that empathy muscle. In this lane, good vibes only.

Facing setbacks and moving forward

So far, 2015 hasn’t been the best for me. I got some news at work that makes the next 6 months feel pretty precarious. If I’m being completely honest, it’s not how I was hoping to start a new year and it’s left me feeling a bit like a deflated balloon (*cue the sad trombone*). But I will soldier on. It’s been a good reminder to focus on things that make me feel good and spurred me to work on a back-up plan. Here are some of the things I’ve been doing to take care of myself and try to “re-inflate” my balloon.

• Cut myself some slack- I’ve been trying to let myself feel my feelings and sit with them. Now that it’s been a few days, I’m trying not to wallow in my feelings or let them drag me down.
• Ask for support- Talking to friends, family and my boyfriend really helped. I’m not the best at asking for support when I need it (I hate those vague attention seeking facebook posts) but it’s been really helpful to talk it out. If I find myself exhausting my friends or retreading the same issues over and over, I’ll go and see a professional to get some support. There is only so much friends can (and should) do.
• Take time to cook for myself- I feel better when I’m eating healthy and enjoying the process. I went to the Trader Joe’s and bought a ton of basic pantry ingredients to give myself a lot of cooking options. I made a ragu in the crockpot and then made myself a little dish of baked eggs in the leftovers on Sunday.

• Sleep- Prioritizing sleep is an important part of self-care and I’ve been listening to my body and sleeping when I need to. It does take some balance though, because being overly tired and wanting to sleep all the time is a symptom of depression and that’s not what I’m going for.
• Caring for my body- Working out, moving and working up a sweat always makes me feel better. I did a Zumba class yesterday at the gym and even though I look pretty ridiculous, it feels great to get into the music and challenge myself to learn new steps.
• Being there for other people- It always makes me feel better to help out my friends. Over the weekend my friends needed some emergency babysitting and it made me feel really good to be there for them. Doing nice things for other people helps you get out of your own head.
• Making a back-up plan- I’m trying to use this setback as an opportunity to re-evaluate myself professionally. I’m thinking about where I really want to be and reaching out to my larger network. It’s easier to just keep chugging away in the same place, but it’s a good thing to take a look at other options.

And lastly, I’m just trying to enjoy the little things and simple pleasures in life. Hanging with friends, drinking a glass of wine, watching the sunset and taking deep breaths. There is a tipping point between dealing with setbacks and entering into something more serious. I’m not trying to slide into a depression, so I’m doing what feels good at the moment and am ready to seek out a therapist if I don’t feel better soon. I’ve had great luck with seeing therapists for a little “tune-up” in the past and would encourage anyone to get help if things seem hopeless or too much to handle.

I have a copy of this sheet music of a song called Life And Love Seem Sweeter After The Storm from 1924 and I’ve been thinking of it like a mantra. It was stormy and rainy here during on Sunday and cleared up just in time for the sunset. It was spectacular. There is plenty of time to turn things around in 2015.

Happy 2015!

The last few months of have super busy and not all together inspiring on the crafting/homeworking/cooking and then blogging about it front. But I’m ready to be back in action in 2015. I love how the energy a new year energizes gives me for new creative endeavors. My New Year’s Eve was pretty quiet this year- a champagne toast at sunset, Chinese food and tiki drinks and then watching the ball drop all cozy from the couch.

I sampled a new tradition on the first day of 2015- Soup Joumou. It’s a Haitian soup with pumpkin, beef and a ton of veggies that Haitians eat to commemorate the overthrow of the French and the only successful slave-led liberation on January 1, 1804. I’m not Haitian, but celebrating unity and freedom seemed like a good way to start the year. There is more information about the history of Soup Joumou here. I used this recipe from Saveur magazine (it doesn’t look like the most traditional way to make this soup and it doesn’t include spaghetti, but it is delicious and makes a ton).

So, here’s to health, happiness, adventure and creativity in 2015! I look forward to sharing it here!

Summer planning list recap

We are having a crazy heat wave in San Diego at the moment, so it doesn’t really feel like summer is over. I mean, it was over 100 degrees over the weekend! I’m not quite ready to transition from sandals to boots, even though Labor Day is the traditional start of fall.

I thought I’d check back with the list I made in June of things I wanted to do. I think I did a pretty good job, overall.

Things I completed:

Swimming in the ocean– I didn’t do the Cove Swim since it was canceled this year, but I did take many ocean swims. The water has been so warm this summer! I even sort of rescued a kid when we were caught in a rip current, although really I just kept him calm until we could both slowly make our way to shore.

Oyster BBQ– Done and done! I had a great time in Bolinas over the summer with my family. It was another successful trip to Hogg Island Oyster Co. That place is magical. My cousin and I bought bags of oysters to take home, happily tasting all the sizes at the sales window. We ended up with a mixed size bag- XS and Smalls. They we order a half dozen fresh ones to eat there because it’s hard to resist the beauty of sitting on rough wood benches and eating fresh oysters that taste like the essence of the sea, while looking at the ridge of Pt. Reyes on the other side of Tomales Bay. We even got extras because they gave us BBQ oysters by accident. This is a picture of Tomales Bay from the Hogg Island shop. It’s looks pretty grey and dreary, but that’s a SF summer for you!

 

Pimms– I love Pimms! I plowed through a bottle pretty quickly this summer. It tastes best though a striped paper straw!

Paddle-boarding- I didn’t make it out on Mission Bay, but I did go on an amazing night time paddle in Newport Harbor! We had LED lights on our boards and it was a warm and calm night. When I paddled close to the shore I could see fish swimming under me. It was an awesome night and well worth the drive to Orange County.

Casino Pool Party– We went twice! Super fun little stay-cation with lots of dancing and merry-making. The second time the bf and I were able to stay up later and we made it to the night time dance party at the pool which was my favorite part of the day!

Picnic party– I had an awesome time hiking and eating with friends for my birthday. I didn’t really have a route planned out, but we still ended up in the perfect picnic spot- a nice table under some Oak trees. Shade is hard to find in most of Mission Trails park, so I was really happy to stumble across the picnic spot. I made 2 awesome Pan Bagnat sandwiches from a New York Times recipe. I don’t really like canned tuna fish or hard boiled eggs, but there is something about the Pan Bagnat that works. It’s a good sandwich for a picnic because it more smashed it gets, the better. The recipe even suggests getting a 7 year old to sit on it! All it in it was a delicious picnic and the perfect way to celebrate my birthday.

Nighttime Zoo– I only managed to make it once, and it was on the last night. The BF and I got a drink to go from the bar and wandered around. It was already kind of dark, so there wasn’t much to see. There is a nice new mountain lion enclosure however, and those cats were up and prowling around. It’s cool (and a little scary) to think of them living in the places I like to hike.

Sunsets– I love summer sunsets. Watching the sun slip down behind the water is the best way to end they day. I spent many evenings looking for the green flash.

Things that are still a work in progress:

Drive-In– Ugh! I still haven’t made it there. In fact, I didn’t go see a movie at all over the summer. I’m keeping this on my to-do list.

Skating– Didn’t do this either. It seems like a good thing to do when the days start getting shorter. I’ll keep it on my list.

Handstand– Still trying! I can kick up to a forearm stand without a problem, so I don’t really know what my problem is. I’m pretty sure it’s all in my head.

Trip planning– Not much progress so far, keeping it on the list.

Overall, I feel like I got the most out of summer. I love living in San Diego and this was a particularly nice summer with lots of beach days and swims in a warm ocean. I can’t really ask for more!

Rosarito Weekend

My weekend in Rosarito didn’t turn exactly as I had planned, but sometimes the best trips don’t! It turned out that we didn’t use my Valle de Guadalupe wine tasting planning on this trip- it was more of a relaxing on the beach and walking around town kind of trip instead. I still have some tips for Rosarito that I want to share (and remember)!

This photo is of the tunnel under the toll road that leads to Baja Malibu. We stopped on both ways to surf and hang out on the beach. The beach is nice and pretty quiet. Like the rest of Baja Norte beaches, the water is colder than in SD. There is a taco shop and a defunct bar that we all agreed looked like a set from the movie From Dusk til Dawn, neither of which is very appealing, but you can park in their parking lot for a few bucks.

In Rosarito we stayed at the Rosarito Beach Hotel, which as you can see in this photo is right on the beach. It was a fine place to stay. They have all kinds of special packages that include dinner or drinks or a “fast pass” to get home. Our group had 2 rooms- a junior penthouse on a top floor and a regular room on the second floor. The rooms all have kitchens or kitchenettes. The suite had 2 bedrooms and a living room and the regular room had one bedroom and twin beds in the living room. It was nice to have a kitchen, but it wasn’t very well equipped. It had some cups and dishes, but nothing else. If you want to cook, you’ll need to bring pots and pans. We also had problems with the fridge. We didn’t really cook though, since we had free dinners in the buffet each night. There wasn’t a huge selection in the buffet, but it was tasty. Especially the made to order quesadillas with huitlacoche.

My main issue with the hotel was the elevators. There are only 3 for the entire hotel tower and they are slooooow. I think it once took close to 20 minutes to get an elevator and then get down to the lobby. It was a major pain. I would recommend requesting a room on a lower floor so you can take the stairs and avoid the whole headache.

The view of the beach from the pier. As you can tell, the beach is hopping! It seemed to be a mix of some tourists from the US and a lot of tourists from other parts of Baja, people escaping the heat of Tijuana and Mexicali. We brought down chairs, surfboards and a cooler full of beers and had a great day. Like many beaches in touristy towns in Mexico, there is a lot to see (and buy) on the beach. I usually say “no thank you” when people come around selling souvenirs, but this time we didn’t. Between the 6 of us we bought:

lots of burritos
woven bracelets with our names on them
swimsuit cover-ups
a straw beach bag
a temporary tattoo
a ninja turtle kite and a Spiderman kite

And that was just on the beach! At one point there were 4 transactions going on at once! It cracked me up. I have to say, I’ll pay more attention to beach vendors in the future- I’m very happy with my bracelet and ninja turtle kite!

 

The beautiful mural on the art gallery right out in front of the hotel. This little shopping arcade, the self-proclaimed “Beverly Hills of Rosarito,” had some cute shops. I bought an adorable embroidered dress for my niece for $15. The prices for the artesenias were not the cheapest ever, but the quality was good.

There are lots of activities to do on the beach. You can rent 4-wheelers, ride horses and we saw a boat pulling an inflatable banana-thing. One of the things on our to-do list was to take a trail ride. As a horse person, these horses in the picture made me sad. They stood there all day in the heat of the sun, without any food or water that I could see. For our ride, we got the horses from another place, which I recommend. To get there, you walk down the road past the hotel, heading out of town. You can’t miss the horses on the right under the trees. The horses there are standing in the shade and had water. You still ride on the beach- it’s a short ride through a creek bed to get there.

My horse’s name was Frieda, and as soon as I got on the guide said, “Ah, sabes que montar.” It made me proud that he could tell, though I have been riding all my life so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that a horse person would notice. The others in my group hadn’t ridden before and they loved it. I had never ridden on the beach and it was really fun to see the scene from horseback. The guide let us gallop a little bit, which feels like you are flying off the rails in the best way possible, though I was careful not to over do it. I didn’t know how much Frieda had worked that day.

It cost us $10 each and we were out for about 40 minutes. Horse experience was not necessary.

At night, we went to Papas and Beer. Both nights! It’s just as hilarious as it’s always been, though not as full as it used to be. They have cheap buckets of beers, sand floors, a mechanical bull, whistle shots and a funny crowd. It is 18 and over, so that adds to the funny-ness of the scene. We also checked out Iggy’s (terrible) and another roof top bar on Nogal St. that I can’t remember the name of. It was right next to Papas and it was fun- free entry and Latin music.

In general, Rosarito is a fun town for a beach weekend. It’s safe and easy to navigate with lots to do and see. It’s not a high-end resort town if that is your style. It seems to be weathering the recession ok. Although there were a bunch of closed bars and restaurants along the main road, there seemed to be a lot of people visiting.

Getting back was easy with our Sentri passes. We were in line just long enough to buy a bean burito and a bag of fresh tortillas. Our friends without the Sentri pass used the “fast pass” from the hotel and had to wait about 45 minutes. The border is busy on Sunday evenings, the line was a few hours for the normal lanes.

In a few weeks I’m heading back down to Baja to stay in Ensenada. This time we are going to Valle for sure. I can’t wait!

Notes for next time: be open for changes of plans, get a room on a lower floor to avoid the elevators, don’t go to Iggy’s!

Trip Planning: Wine tasting in the Valle de Guadalupe Now with updates!

I think that planning for a trip is almost as fun as the trip its self. This weekend I’m headed down to Baja California, Mexico for the weekend. Since I live in San Diego, it’s really only about an hour’s drive. This time around, I am staying in Rosarito. I haven’t been to Rosarito in a while, but it has a reputation as a party town. It’s a town with a cruise ship port (at least they used to stop there), a Senor Frog’s and a Papas and Beer. Now I have nothing against drinking Coronas and cheap tequila shots, but that isn’t all that Baja has to offer.

Baja is also home to a lovely wine region. The major area for wineries is the Valle de Guadalupe. I grew up in the SF Bay Area and have made many trips to Napa and Sonoma, and although I’m hardly a wine expert, I love being in the country and the experience of wine tasting. The first time I visited the Valle I was amazed. It’s beautiful and the wine is good! And cheap! The first time I went, we were part of a wine tour. We visited 3 wineries in a bus and then had lunch. It was nice way to see it for the fist time, but now that I’ve been, I prefer to explore it on my own. The pictures in this post were taken at Santo Tomas by a friend (who has a great manicure!).

This weekend is part of Vendimia, or harvest fest, and I’m super excited to check it out. I’ve heard it’s a great time. Since I don’t know what the festival will be like, the plans I’m making are very lose. There are official events at wineries, which sound fun, but some of them are pretty pricey (100$-200$ US). I’ve been told that the whole Valle is celebrating, so I’m hoping that is the case.

Here is the travel notes part of the post. I’m going to list where I’ve been so far and places I want to visit. I’ll do an update when I get back with the new spots I’ve visited.

General information and travel tips

General info about Baja, including important winery info (especially important to note which ones require a reservation) from the tourist board website, Discover Baja California.

Map of the Valle, including wineries and some restaurants.

If you are driving (which is easy to do), get Mexican car insurance! I can’t stress this enough. The laws are different in Mex, and your US insurance most likely will not cover damages if you get in an accident. It’s worth the money to protect yourself and your car. In an older car, be prepared to pay 30$-40$ for the weekend, and a bit more if you are in a newer or more expensive car. There are stands on the US side of the border that will sell you insurance on the spot, or you can do it online and print it out. It’s legit and necessary. When my boyfriend was in an accident in Baja, the insurance company was very professional and speedy in handling his claim.

I speak Spanish, which makes traveling in Mexico easier. However, it’s not necessary. The wine region mostly caters to Mexican tourists, but there are also lots of Americans there. Many places accept American dollars and many people speak English. I do think you get better prices when you have pesos, especially when the exchange rate is as favorable as it is at the moment (1$ is over 13 pesos), so you might want to change some money.

Crossing the border to get home can be a pain. The car line is often over 2 hours on a Sunday at San Ysidro and I’ve waited over 3 hours before. There’s not much that can be done about this, the wait really stinks. The crossing at Otay Mesa is often faster. At least you can get yourself some snacks while you wait, like churros or Totsilocos. If you live close to the border and love Baja as much as I do, it’s worth it to get a Sentri card. It’s a Trusted Traveler program that gives you priority lanes and speeds up crossing time. The process takes a few months, but it also gives you TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry in US airports. I think it’s worth the $100.

Make sure you check the regulations about what you can bring across the border with you. You can’t bring any guns or ammo to Mexico (not that you would, but it would be a big bad deal). When you are crossing into the US, make sure you check the customs regulations. You can bring a limited amount of alcohol, 1 liter. You can’t bring fruits or veggies home with you, but you can bring cheese, honey and olive oil. All of which you can get in the Valle.

Keep in mind that people in Mexico tend to dress a little more formally than they do in CA. Shorts and t-shirts are fine at the beach, but when you visit the wineries you might want to be a little more put together so you feel like less of a tourist. Dress like you would if you were going to Napa.

For some travel and dining inspiration, check out the blog Life and Food. They not only take beautiful photos and visit a range of restaurants, they also lead eating trips. I do wish they included more restaurant and hotel price information, which can sometimes be hard to find.

If you want a more guided experience, check out Turista Libre Tours. I haven’t been on a tour yet, but they go awesome places. Like the water park.

Whew, that was a lot of tips. Hope they are useful. Mexico in general, and Baja/Tijuana in particular have a bad rap at the moment. And it’s true, the drug violence has been destructive and horrifying. This book has some good background on the subject. That being said, don’t let that scare you. It feels very very safe these days. Many of the victims of the violence weren’t involved with the drug trade, and you could find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, but that could also be true the next time you cross the street. So, go and visit for yourself. And don’t be nervous at military checkpoints. On to the good stuff….

Is this real life?

This week has been a rough one for international news. More violence in Gaza and Israel. A passenger jet shot down over Ukraine. Americans protesting children fleeing violence (that our own polices and drug use had a huge hand in creating). Things are as bad as ever in Syria and Iraq. It’s been a tough week for humans everywhere. Yesterday, when I opened the New York Times website and the cover photo was of a man carrying a dead child, another dead child crumpled in the foreground, it was too much. I am ashamed to admit, I directly clicked over to the Dining section and read an article from Mark Bittman about how to make your own sauces and condiments. My reading or not reading an article has no impact on the families that are grieving for those children, or those people who are hunkered down, wondering if their building will be the next target. But still, it feels like we should all act as witness to what is happening around the world. In my privileged bubble of life here CA, watching is the least I can do. It feels shallow and vapid to write about a weekend away or a new recipe when there are so many people living through unspeakable horror and grief. We all face some struggles and trials in our lives, but I feel incredibly grateful to have lived a life with a pretty light burden. I feel like I need to justify having this blog to myself. I find myself listing all the good things I do for my community, nation, planet etc., which is silly and useless. The world is a horrible and a wonderful place. Last night I watched this beautiful sunset over the beach and thought about these things. I didn’t have an epiphany. I’m not joining the Peace Corps. I’m not chaining myself to something out of protest. I don’t have some deep message of hope or cute quote that will give everything meaning. I’ll do what we all do; keep on living as best we can. And I’ll save the fluff posts for another day. This cartoon that I saw on Facebook kind of sums up my feelings: http://www.dorktower.com/2014/07/18/the-real-world-dork-tower-18-07-14/

Daily Checklist

On the whole, I’m pretty happy with myself and my life. But there is always some room to improve and reinforce good habits. That’s pretty much the theme of the whole blog! I’ve been on a hunt for a way to record my daily goals and keep myself accountable.

First, I tried to do it in an app. I downloaded an app called TraxItAll and added my daily and weekly goals. I even paid for it and I rarely do that. I entered 10 habits I wanted to reinforce and then I was supposed to go in each day and say if I completed them or not. This didn’t work very well for me. Maybe because I put in too many goals or maybe it was hidden in all the apps in my phone, but for whatever reason, I didn’t use it much.

Then I moved on to a lower tech solution. I started to make little notes in my paper planner with my messy handwriting.

So far it’s been working great. I don’t use the planner for work appointments, those I keep track of in my Google calendar. I list the things I want to work on or keep track of and then just make a few notes during the day. I keep it open on my desk, so I don’t forget to make some notes.

Here are the things I’m keeping track of:

Food– I tried using MyFitnessPal and it made me a little crazy. I generally eat pretty well, so I don’t feel like I need to track calories in that level of detail. I prefer to grade myself on the healthfulness of my choices, if I brought food from home and if I ate a good breakfast. I’ve been giving myself – + etc kind of score.

Workouts- I love to workout, so it’s not usually a problem. I give myself some +s when I go to they gym, run or do a Fitwall class.

Sleep– Sleep is very important to all of us, and like most people, I feel like I’m not getting enough most of the time. I try to keep a record of how I slept and if it was long enough with the same – and + scale.

❤– The Heart is for general mood and happiness level. This one I draw a little face for. Sometimes it looks like this 🙂 sometimes it’s more like this and so far only once it was :(.  It’s interesting to see how the other things on my list impact my mood. Sleep impacts my mood the most. I’m really unhappy when I’m sleep deprived.

Stairs– I’ve recently added walking the stairs in my building to my daily routine. I keep track of how many times I do it. There are 5 flights, so it gets my heart rate up a bit. I normally drink a ton of water while I work. Lately I’ll walk up all the stairs every time I get up to refill my water bottle. I aim for hitting the stairs more than 2 times a day.

SH#– I call this my shit togetherness score. I try to rate 1-10 how much I’ve got it together for the day. Things that up the score- getting to work promptly, taking care of errands, being extra productive at work.

I’ve been doing this pretty regularly for 7 weeks and I like how it’s going. It’s a nice and easy way to remind me of the intentions I have set for myself. I like that it’s more about reinforcing good habits than it is about making drastic life changes.

Note for next time: keep up the posting, add a line for the blog to keep a more regular posting schedule, don’t forget to bring your lunch!

Corn pancake fail

I’ve yet to share much of my cooking on the blog, but it’s something I love to do. It’s also something I like to think I’m pretty good at. At least, I’m good at making things to my own taste! A few days ago I was craving cornmeal pancakes, so I went looking online for a quick recipe I could make for breakfast. I found a Mark Bittman recipe from the Times. I’m a bit of a researcher (understatement alert), but I’m less moved to fact check recipes when a recipe is by someone I trust. Usually Mark Bittman doesn’t let me down.

I will also admit, I wasn’t following the recipe very well. I misread the amount of milk, and poured too much in my measuring cup. It says to “stir in the milk, a little at a time, until the batter is spreadable but still thick” and I pretty much just poured it all in at once. Not sure if that mistake was to blame, but it did not work at all. It stuck in my cast iron pan. I tried it in the only non-stick (kinda) pan I have. Didn’t work. I then looked up some other places this recipe was posted, and others in the comment had the same problem.

 

I attempted to salvage them by adding some whole wheat flour and baking soda and then cooking it like a cornbread. As you can see in the picture, it only kind of worked. And it has a half cup of pine nuts in it. Sigh, those guys are expensive. I ate some of it with maple syrup, since I was craving pancakes. Edible, but not my favorite cornbread.

Notes for next time: Don’t make again, for corn pancakes make Johnnycakes, take a look at other posts for recipes missing major seeming ingredients (like pancakes with no leavener)